[Sodium_noir] Hell is other people

[Eric]

Dr. Lazarus, 'Sandra Scoland', Mitsuko, Aurora, Jack
Mage, Bastet, Avatar, Mage, Spirit
Lady Sinclaire's Mansion

[Sandra]
Sandra looks somewhat perplexed for a moment noting how the woman relaxed suddenly. While that was something she had seen and worked with on more occasions she could count, the change in her eye color was something she had never seen before. Or at least not to that degree of extremes anyway. It was then she realized she was staring.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me," Sandra says as she releases Aurora's hand, "I don't mean to stare, but your eyes. They're beautiful. I have seen eyes change color before, but generally they stay within the same color range.  I have never seen eyes change so quickly, or as drastically, as yours. Have they always done that?"

[Aurora]
Aurora blushes and looks away for a moment, had they shifted again?  A more Amber tone this time?

"For most of my real life," Aurora answers honestly, if not oddly, though they shift again to green, slowly this time.  "If I knew my family, I'd probably know better if it was genetic."  She looks down, shuffling her feet slightly.  "It's one of the reasons I don't go out much."

She clears her throat, looking to the door, looking at the plant nearby, finally back to Sandra as though she was searching for a change in topic.

[Sandra]
Sensing Aurora's tension, Sandra could tell she had touched upon a sensative subject. She wanted desperately to learn more, but now was, once again, not the time.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarress you," she says gesturing and talking slightly with her hands. "I had a friend back in college who had a similar problem.  He ended up wearing colored contacts most of the time because he got tired of people commenting on them. Wish I could say I was the exception to that rule," she says with a polite chuckle trying to help set Aurora and her companion at ease.

Sandra was always pretty comfortable in social settings. It came with the job.  But she also knew when not to push something.  Putting a client ill at ease, even a potential one, was never conducive to good networking. One could never know when a certain hello and a handshake could lead to something. And in Sandra's line of work, networking was part of the game.

"So how do you and your friend know Dr. Hiram? Do you work at the museum?" she says directing the question to both Aurora and Mitsuko, looking to draw the quiet, enigmatic oriental woman into the conversation as well.

[Mitsuko]
Mitsuko paused for only a brief second to see if Aurora would answer, and then plunges on.

[Storyteller re: Jack]
Unfortunately the place seemed to be devoid of anything friendly. The things in the walls ignored him. Set on their predesigned duty to Mother Weaver. The Spirits of the people were the small things of the flesh born, or the cold dead things that fed from them. The only really bright spot came from behind him, and it was so bright and kaleidoscopic that he decided to give it wide berth. The trio in the hallway were too wholesome and they hurt his eyes.

[Jack]
Jack squinted at them for a few moments in an attempt at determining what they were, but the light was too much to bear. Apprehension outweighed curiosity, and he moved on.

Another waiter passed by, pausing just long enough for Jack to replace his empty glass with a full one. “Yeah, well.... nice they’re so accommodating around here, but better slow the fuck down,” he thought.  The liquor had hit him almost as  quickly as he’d drained the previous two drinks.  What a fine impression he’d make if he started swinging from the hostess’ chandelier.  Jack took a deep breath and proceeded with the search.

[Storyteller]
As he made his way through the house he heard music. Strings and such. With no better place to go he headed towards them.
 
There was a room, with more humans. A Quartet playing sounds that reminded him of something he couldn't quit fix. A Place with a lake of silver and the cries of the wounded.
 
Then he caught the sight of a fellow Spirit in Flesh. Several in fact. A group just as bright as the previous one but more welcoming. He recognised several of them immediately. Aurora and Mitsuko stood talking to an attractive woman and a man in a wheelchair.
 
[Mitsuko]
"Oh no, but I've visted several times." A look passed between her and the Proffesor. "But we meet at the Temple in China town mostly. We're both friends of the monks there."

[Aurora]
Aurora appreciated the change in subject, "Through the temple too. Just wandered into Gotham recently, actually.  I was lucky enough to meet the right people at the right time..."

She appreciated the small talk, but she also still looked slightly jittery, a cat caught in the corner of a room full of bulldogs, wondering if they were friendly or not.

[Sandra]
"Another recent transplant as well? Thank heavens I'm not the only one. I was beginning to worr.." 

Sandra's comment is suddenly cut short when at that moment...

[Mitsuko]
"JAAAACCKK!" Mitsuko suddenly squealed. Doing little for Aurora's already frayed nerves.

[Sandra]
"I take it you two know each other," Sandra mumbles under her breath to herself rhetorically not looking for a reply.  The answer was rather... obvious it seemed.

[Jack]
A bit embarrassed by the enthusiastic greeting, Jack smiled shyly and raised his glass in reply.  “Uhm... yeah, I finally got here.”  His smile grew at seeing Aurora.  “Hey, have I missed anything exciting?”

The other woman and the man in the wheelchair were unfamiliar to him.  He nodded politely at them both. There was something of an attempt at extending his hand, but at the last second, the gesture turned into awkward shrug and, instead, he rubbed the back of his neck.  

“Uhm, hi... name’s Jack.”

[Sandra]
"Hi there, Jack," she says hoping a soft smile would help put the tense man at ease. "Sandra Scoland. I somehow get the impression you three know each other," she asks looking back and forth between Mitsuko, Aurora and Jack. 

~  O how the darkness do crowd up, one against the other, in ye hearts! What fear ye more that what ye have Tagged?
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